The Naver Webtoon hit Yumi’s Cells — which dives into the internal, psychological world of a young woman and the brain cells that drive her emotions — will debut a fully-animated feature film to buyers at European Film Market in Berlin this month (February 15-21). The 3D CG pic is produced by Locus Animation Studios (Red Shoes and the Seven Dwarfs) and Naver’s Studio N (Sweet Home), and Barunson E&A (Parasite) has picked up international rights.
The original manhwa created by Dong-gun Lee ran for over 500 chapters from 2015 to 2020. The story centers on Yumi Kim, a 30-something office worker, and reflects her life experiences through the antics of the tiny hood-clad cells insider her brain that are each responsible for Yumi’s emotions and behavior; such as Anxiety Cell, Love Cell, Emotional Cell, Rational Cell and Naughty Cell. The comics earned an average 9.9/10 rating per chapter across 3.2 billion views on Naver Webtoon.
The IP inspired a drama series which premiered in Korea in 2021, combining live-action with animated segments for the cellular activity. The Yumi’s Cells show ran for two seasons (28 episodes) and sold to more than 150 territories around the world, including major multi-territory Prime Video.
Picking up where the TV series left off, he franchise’s debut feature film will be fully-animated and explore the love story between Yumi and her Season 2 love interest, Babi, a co-worker. The movie will also follow Yumi as she pursues her dreams of becoming a writer.
